Svetlana Grinchuk reported on the environmental damage in Zaporizhia caused by Russian aggression, stating, "This is just from the Russians blowing up the Kakhovka Dam."

The damage to the natural reserve fund of the Zaporizhia region caused by Russia's armed aggression has already exceeded 1.5 billion UAH. This figure is primarily due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam by Russian forces.

We will be able to assess the full extent of the damage to the protected areas in the region after the de-occupation of the natural parks. I am confident that the scene we will encounter in the liberated territories will shock the entire world.

Since the occupation of the "Priazovskyi" park, wildfires have affected 709 hectares, while the area of pollution and destruction of park facilities totals 954 hectares, and the area potentially mined is 54 hectares. In the occupied territories, the aggressors are conducting "barbaric" industrial fishing of aquatic biological resources in the waters of the Sea of Azov and adjacent wetlands, using prohibited tools and methods for fishing.

The area of another park – the National Park "Velykyi Luh," which is part of the Emerald Network, has been turned into shooting ranges and military positions by the Russians. The park's assets have been completely plundered.

Therefore, the assessed damage will be immense.

Today, we also visited the national reserve "Khortytsia," which suffered as a result of the detonation of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam by Russian forces.

Following the dam's destruction, the ecosystems of Khortytsia Island have changed significantly. The area of the water surface in the floodplain has decreased by 85%, while the land area of the island has increased by almost 200 hectares. There has been a mass die-off of bottom vegetation and aquatic plants, and the living conditions for animals have changed.

Among the urgent issues are the constant forest fires that arise after the alteration of the hydrological regime due to the dam's destruction. Therefore, we discussed measures with the leadership of the Zaporizhia Regional State Administration and the Khortytsia reserve to prevent such fires and enhance the protection of the territories against them.

Meanwhile, the territory of the former water bodies, like the Kakhovka Reservoir as a whole, is becoming overgrown with willows and poplars. New cliffs and islands have emerged, revealing a number of archaeological sites. Almost 2,000 items found in the habitats of the Tomakivska, Pokrovska, Bazavlutska Sich, and on Khortytsia Island have already been transferred to the reserve's collections.

Nature is gradually recovering, adapting to the changes. Among our key tasks is to preserve what we have, as well as to document all the ecological crimes of the occupiers to hold the aggressor accountable for their actions.